The Love of True Nobility
by MWolfL
Summary: Spike nearly sacrifices his life to save Rarity when they're trapped in a cave, causing Rarity to re-think her feelings for him. Will she finally return Spike's feelings, and even if she does how will everypony else react? SpikeXRarity
1. Crystal Hunting

It was a week after Flicker and Twilight were reunited and Starlight met Flicker. Flicker wanted to meet Flurry Heart and get to know Cadance more so Twilight decided for the three of them - Spike included - to go to the Crystal Empire.

However the rest of Twilight's friends decided to join, because Rarity was thinking of making some crystal fashions and Starlight wanted to visit Sunburst again. As for Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Flutershy, well, they couldn't say no to a fun trip. Especially one to the Crystal Empire, which they grew fond of ever since their first visit (even though said visit wasn't that pleasant a trip at times).

Once they reached the station Shining Armor, Cadance, Flurry Heart, and Sunburst were there waiting for them.

"Well hello, who are you?" Flicker smiled upon seeing Sunburst.

"Sunburst, Flurry Heart's Crystaller. Who are you?" Sunburst smiled back.

"Flicker Sentry, Twilight's boyfriend." Flicker extended a hoof and Sunburst shook it.

"Sentry? Are you related to the guard Flash Sentry?"

"Well, yes and no. Did Shining Armor or Cadance ever tell you about a magic mirror in the castle?"

"Well actually Princess Celestia did, she told me that it opened onto another dimension every-" Sunburst widened his eyes and pushed his glasses up. "You're from that other dimension?"

"Yeah, it's a dimension full of human versions of everypony here." Flicker explained. "Humans are basically furless bipedal creatures who always wear clothes. I'm the human version of Flash Sentry, Twilight had to visit my dimension about a few years ago and we ended up falling in love. I then came here the last time the portal was open to see Twilight again, and since our feelings were still strong I decided to stay here. My parents joined me here as well, and I changed my name to Flicker to help avoid confusion."

"Wow...I have to admit, your devotion to Twilight is impressive." Sunburst was stunned, but also smiled.

They then headed for the castle. After they got settled in Rarity asked where crystals could be found.

"Well from what I remember reading, the original crystals were mined from the mountains a long time ago." Sunburst said.

"I think I read that too." Twilight agreed. "But we don't know what else is in the mountains."

"Oh don't worry, the guards and I have been exploring the mountains a bit to make sure that they're safe for other ponies to visit." Shining Armor said. "It turns out they are, there aren't any creatures living there and as far as we know the caves are safe enough to enter."

"And I'll pack plenty of provisions just in case." Rarity promised.

"Wait a minute Rarity, you won't be able to dig the crystals from solid rock easily." Spike pointed out. "I'd better come along to help you with that."

"Would you? I was thinking of asking you to help but I wasn't sure whether Twilight would be okay with it or not."

"You're right, I'm not okay with it." Twilight said. "I don't want anything to happen to you Spike. At least Rarity is able to perform spells she can defend herself with."

"What could happen? I mean Rarity will be with me anyway and Shining Armor himself said that there aren't any creatures we have to worry about." Spike shrugged.

"Well...okay, but only if Shining Armor escorts you there." Twilight gave in.

"I was thinking of going with them anyway." Shining Armor chuckled.

"Good." Twilight said with relief.

So a bit later that day, after packing plenty of food and other supplies, Shining Armor escorted Rarity and Spike towards the mountains.

"Okay, I think you'll be able to take if from here." Shining Armor said as they neared a place Spike and Rarity could easily climb the mountains from. "I'll be back before dinner to pick you up, so be sure to come here before then."

"Will do, thank you Shining Armor." Rarity said.

"Yeah, thanks bro." Spike smiled.

"No problem." Shining Armor smiled before leaving.

Spike and Rarity then made the trip up to where the caves were located, Rarity using her gem-finding spell to find the best cave to start with. Upon finding it they went inside and started to collect crystals.

"These crystals are magnificent, I just know I'll be able to make exquisite gowns with these." Rarity smiled as she studied a crystal.

"Rarity, you always make exquisite gowns." Spike chuckled as he brought some more over.

"Thank you Spikey-Poo, but I do want these particular gowns to be especially lovely." Rarity said. "Now that I have a Carousel Boutique in Canterlot I must keep up with expectations. After all Canterlot ponies are very particular about what they wear."

"Don't I know it." Spike rolled his eyes.

"That's right...you did grow up there along with Twilight. I know Twilight didn't socialize much back then, but I never thought about what your life in Canterlot was like."

"It was okay, I mean most of the ponies there were snobs so I didn't socialize that much either." Spike shrugged. "I mean I was friends with Twilight's friends plus Celestia, but that was it."

"Ah, well it's the Canterlot ponies' loss-" Rarity cut herself off with a scream as she unexpectedly slid down a slope!

"Rarity!" Spike cried, automatically leaping after her.

They both landed unharmed in a part of the cave, but unfortunately it turned out that Rarity's slide had been caused by the rocky floor that she was on crumbling beneath her. And because of that the rocks that had been loosened crashed into the entrance to the part of the cave, trapping them since there were no other openings. Well save one in the ceiling, but it was much too high to reach.

"Oh dear..." Rarity said, realizing that they were in a very serious predicament.

"Hang on, I'll try to dig us out." Spike went to the wall near the entrance and started digging.

Unfortunately, the wall was so hard that he barely made a dent before needing to stop due to tiredness.

"Great...out of all of the caves we could've end up in...we end up in the one with walls too hard...for even me to dig through." Spike panted a little.

"It's okay Spike, we'll find another way out." Rarity reassured herself as well as him.

"Hmm..." Spike looked around and up. "Really wish I was a flying dragon right now. Just my luck I had to be a land dragon."

A.N. I don't know for sure if there are land dragons along with flying dragons, but I figured that Spike and the others would assume it due to Spike not having grown wings when he went on that rampage in Ponyville.

"Wouldn't mind being a pegasus just for a moment either." Rarity half-joked. "Or truthfully I would love to be an alicorn."

"You'd be a beautiful one too." Spike blushed.

Rarity blushed a bit too, but didn't say anything. She knew that Spike always had a crush on her, and Spike knew that she knew, so there was no need to say anything.

"Wish I could think of a way to save us..." Spike then sighed, not having found a way they could escape through.

"I wish I could think of a solution as well, but I'm afraid it looks as if we'll be trapped here for a while." Rarity agreed. "We'll just have to wait for Shining Armor to find us later."

"Right..." Spike said, though truthfully he had doubts.

Not that he doubted Shining Armor mind you, you see to Spike looked as if they were buried deep in the caves. What if not even Twilight could locate them in time because of that?

"Well, we might as well make the most of a bad situation." Rarity spread a picnic blanket out. "No gems here for us to gather, but I wouldn't want you to tire yourself out digging them out anyway. Fortunately a lady is always prepared and I did take the liberty of packing a deck of cards as well as my knitting supplies."

"But what if it takes our friends a long time to find us?" Spike asked.

"We'll ration our food just in case. Good thing I prepared for your big appetite and packed a lot of food." Rarity shuffled the cards. "So, Go Fish or Bridge?"

"Go Fish, I haven't learned Bridge yet."

"Very well."

So they started playing. A bit later on Spike decided to play a bit of solitaire while Rarity did some knitting.

Then lunchtime time came around. Rarity split a sandwich in half, gave one to Spike, and then poured a little apple juice into two cups.

However, while Rarity wasn't looking, Spike hid his half of the sandwich back into the basket and poured his share of the drink back into the thermos. The same thing happened around dinnertime.

Also around that time Shining Armor came back, but there was no sign of Spike or Rarity. Shining Armor used a locator spell to try to find them, but they weren't anywhere nearby.

"I've got a bad feeling about this...they couldn't have lost track of time, Spike learned a lot about punctuality from Twily." Shining Armor said to himself worriedly. "Plus Rarity owns her own business, so she knows better than to be late for an appointment. I'd better look for them, and if I don't find them before dark I'll let the others know."

Sure enough he couldn't find Spike or Rarity, because Spike had been right about them having been trapped deep in the mountains. So Shining Armor was forced to go back for reinforcements.

Obviously, no one was happy about the situation. Least of all Twilight.

"Oh I knew we shouldn't have let them go out there!" She started to panic. "What if they encountered a dangerous creature nopony else knew about or-"

"Twilight, Twilight, remember." Cadance interrupted before breathing deeply and slowly.

Twilight copied her, calming down a little but still remaining very worried.

"I know sis, I'm worried about them too." Shining Armor said. "But it's now too late to continue searching, so first thing in the morning we'll all go look for them."

"Count me in!" Rainbow Dash saluted.

"And you can always rely on me Sugar Cube." Applejack agreed.

"I'm sure my Pinkie Sense can locate them." Pinkie Pie smiled.

"I'll do my best to help." Fluttershy promised.

"I'll come too, Flurry Heart will be okay without me for a few hours." Cadance said.

"In that case is it okay if I stay behind and look after her?" Sunburst offered.

"Of course, thank you Sunburst."

"I'll stay and help him since Flurry Heart can be a hoof-ful even with her magic limited." Starlight chuckled.

Sunburst blushed a little, but not out of embarrassment.

"Thanks Starlight." He smiled.

So the next morning Shining Armor, Cadence, Twilight, and most of Twilight's friends went looking for Rarity and Spike...

...Who were just waking up. Rarity woke up first, and noticed that Spike had wrapped the picnic blanket - which they had used for a bed - around her leaving little of the blanket for himself.

"Oh Spike..." She murmured, touched.

"Hm...?" Spike groaned. "Wha- Oh...good morning Rarity."

"Good morning Spike...are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah...I'm fine..." Spike slowly started to get up.

"Spike, I may not be the Element of Honesty but I can still tell when others are lying." Rarity said with gentle sternness. "Look if you need more sleep then go ahead, I'll wake you when our friends find us."

"No no, I'm okay." Spike insisted.

Rarity didn't believe him, but she didn't want to argue either so she dropped the matter. So she prepared breakfast, and again Spike returned his share of the food and drink without Rarity noticing. They then passed the time with another card game - this time Bridge, Rarity decided to teach Spike the game - until they heard voices.

"Hey Spike! Rarity!" Rainbow Dash called down as she and Twilight flew into the cave through the hole in the ceiling.

"Oh good, you found us!" Rarity waved.

"Yeah, thanks to Pinkie-" Twilight stopped because she noticed how weak Spike looked. "Spike are-?"

Spike fainted!

"Spike!" Twilight cried, grabbing him and flying out of the cave and back towards the Crystal Empire.

Worried, Rarity quickly packed up the cards and picnic blanket and Rainbow Dash flew her out the hole.

"What's wrong with Spike?" Cadance asked worriedly.

"I dunno, he fainted for some reason." Rainbow Dash shrugged, also concerned. "Rarity did anything happen to him while you two were trapped down there?"

"No...I mean he did get a little tired when he tried to dig us out but otherwise he was fine until this morning." Rarity said. "Unless..."

She looked into the picnic basket and dropped her mouth open slightly. There were uneaten half-sandwiches in it.

"He never ate his share of the food." Rarity realized.


	2. Relationships Explained

Meanwhile, Twilight brought Spike to the hospital where a nearby doctor approached her with concern.

"Please...something's wrong with Spike you have to..." Twilight pleaded.

"Of course, please wait here while we examine him." The doctor agreed.

A gurney was brought out, and Spike was gently placed onto it and rolled further into the hospital. Twilight waited worriedly in the lobby until the doctor came back.

"Is it serious?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"Thankfully no, Master Spike is just suffering from dehydration and a little malnutrition." The doctor smiled before looking confused. "Apparently he hasn't eaten anything for a couple days...would you happen to know why?"

"Oh..." Twilight calmed down. "Actually...yes... He and Rarity went into the mountains yesterday to gather some crystals but they ended up trapped in one of the caves. I guess he was just saving his share of the food for Rarity."

"Ah. I'm not surprised, Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious is a very noble and selfless dragon." The doctor smiled.

"Yes...he is." Twilight agreed, hiding her amusement since she knew that Spike wasn't as perfect as the Crystal Ponies believed him to be.

But no matter, the main thing was that Spike was relatively okay and would survive. Besides, there was something else to take care of: letting Princess Celestia know what happened. Twilight knew that she would want to check on Spike and make sure that he was okay. So she quickly wrote a letter to her and mailed it using a mailing spell she had learned recently (sort of a substitute for Spike's sending fire).

Then Rarity and the others showed up, Rarity looking oddly clean for someone who had been trapped in a cave for two days.

"Rarity wanted to check on Spike, but we insisted that she clean herself up first." Fluttershy explained.

"I only gave in when I realized that the doctors wouldn't let me in if I was dirty." Rarity shrugged. "So is Spike okay apart from malnutrition?"

"You know huh?" Twilight said.

"Yes, I saw that his share of the food was still in the picnic basket." Rarity nodded.

"Yeah, apart from malnutrition and dehydration he's fine." Twilight said with relief. "He should be ready to leave the hospital no later than a week, hopefully."

"Dehyd- So he never drank his share of the apple juice either." Rarity realized.

"Guess not...apparently he was more concerned about your welfare."

"Obviously, you mean." Rarity blushed slightly.

Everypony stared at her.

"Hold on, you know about his crush on you?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, I've known for quite some time actually." Rarity nodded. "And he knows that I know, remember when we fell off a mountain during...uh..." Rarity hesitated, not wanting the Crystal Ponies to find out about that incident.

"We know, go on." Rainbow Dash urged understandingly.

"Well he almost admitted his feelings, but I stopped him due to already knowing." Rarity finished. "We never really talked about it though..."

"I think it's time you both did." Cadance said. "At least after he wakes up anyway. Well I'd better go, I think Sunburst and Starlight would appreciate me relieving them of foalsitting duties. Especially since I'm sure they'll want to see how Spike and Rarity are doing."

"Okay dear, I'll stay here a bit longer in case Spike wakes up today." Shining Armor said. "He is kinda like a little brother to me."

Cadance nodded understandingly.

"He's always been like a little brother to me too." Twilight said softly.

Flicker comfortingly put a hoof around Twilight.

Sunburst and Starlight arrived a bit later.

"Glad Rarity is okay and Spike isn't that badly off." Starlight smiled. "We were all really worried about you both. Twilight most of all."

"I'm not surprised, Twilight did recently state that Spike has always been like a little brother to her." Rarity smiled.

"Meaning you two have been together for many moons." Sunburst realized. "Did he come out of the egg you were supposed to hatch for your entrance exam? I remember reading about that back when I was in the School for Gifted Unicorns, it's a special exam saved for the ones with the most potential."

"Why yes...didn't you take that exam?" Twilight was surprised.

"You kidding?" Sunburst chuckled awkwardly. "If I had I never would've gotten into the school in the first place. No, I took the basic exam used for most of the entries: a written test to show how much you've already learn about magic and how capable you are of learning more."

"I bet you got top marks." Starlight grinned.

"Actually...I did." Sunburst blushed. "Guess I should've realized from that that my talent is in studying and learning magic, not exactly performing it. It would've saved me a lot of embarrassment and insecurity."

"Hey at least you got a neat position in the Empire now." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"True...and I do like being a Crystaller more than a wizard." Sunburst smiled. "It's more fun and rewarding."

There was a sudden burst of wind that blew open the windows, and a white-and-pastel blur whooshed past the Mane Seven. Everypony there, except Twilight, froze with wide eyes.

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack said.

"Princess Celestia. I wrote to her about Spike." Twilight explained.

"Dang, and I thought I was fast." Pinkie Pie remarked.

They ran as fast after Princess Celestia as they were allowed, and soon saw her and the doctor that admitted Spike outside a door to one of the recovery rooms.

"Why Princess Celestia!" The doctor said with surprise. "Did you hear about what happened to Master Spike?"

"Yes, Twilight just wrote to me about him." Princess Celestia said, sounding and looking very worried. "Is he all right?"

"Yes he's fine, he just needs to build up his strength for a couple days. You can see him now, he just woke up a minute ago."

"Thank you." Princess Celestia instantly went inside.

The Mane Seven and Sunburst followed her, and smiled upon Spike looking okay despite having an IV in his arm.

"I'm so glad you're okay son." Princess Celestia smiled.

Twilight and Rarity were the only ones who didn't drop their mouths open.

"Yeah I'm fine mom, just a bit hungry." Spike smiled.

"I...uh...will order some food for you Master Spike." The doctor said before leaving, obviously still stunned by the son-mom reveal.

"Hold up, Princess Celestia is Spike's mom?" Applejack asked.

"I thought you were Spike's mom Twilight." Starlight said. "I mean you did hatch him."

"Yeah, but Princess Celestia was the one who took care of him." Twilight explained. "After all I was only a filly at the time, plus I did have my studies to take care of."

Her friends made sounds of agreement/realization, except for Rarity.

"Good point." Starlight said.

"Spike, how come you didn't eat your share of the food?" Rarity asked, going over to Spike.

"Because...I was more willing to starve to death than I was to risk you later starving." Spike admitted. "I mean we really had no idea when our friends would find us, so we might've ran out of food before they could if I had eaten my share."

Rarity was so moved by this that she went over and hugged him.

"Spike, while I am proud of your selfless act I still want you to never do that again." Twilight playfully scolded.

"Me either, I don't ever want to lose you." Princess Celestia agreed.

"I promise, as long as Rarity and I pack extra supplies the next time we go gem hunting." Spike said.

"Of course we will." Rarity smiled.

Everypony else smiled with relief.

"Well, even though you're all right I'll still stay until you're well enough to leave the hospital, just in case." Princess Celestia said to Spike.

"No problem, I would like to catch up a bit anyway." Spike smiled.

Food was then brought in for Spike, and the others decided to grab a meal as well. Only Princess Celestia stayed behind so that she and Spike could catch up a bit. The doctors offered her a meal, but she politely declined.

Later that evening Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, Cadance, Flurry Heart, Sunburst, Flicker, and the Mane Seven decided to have a group dinner in the castle. However before joining her friends for dinner Rarity headed over to the hospital, having decided that Cadance was right about talking to Spike about his crush on her.

"Oh hi Rarity, where is everypony?" Spike asked.

"Having dinner in the castle. I'm going to join them soon, but first I wanted to talk a bit." Rarity explained.

"Oh? What about?"

"Well first, I wanted to thank you for putting me before yourself. Also I wanted to talk about...your crush on me." Rarity said.

Spike blushed.

"Oh...that." He said awkwardly.

"Yes. I know I nonverbally told you that I already knew, but Cadance said earlier today that I should still talk to you about it. I suppose she's right, it's just...well, I didn't want to risk hurting you. You see I thought that you would eventually grow out of your crush on me. However the fact that you were willing to sacrifice your life for me proves that your feelings for me are stronger than a mere crush."

"You're right, they are." Spike admitted. "I may have first fallen in love with your appearance, but as I got to know you better I grew to love you more for your kindness and generosity. And my love for you just kept getting stronger, until...well, frankly I believe it's now past the point where I'll never stop loving you."

Rarity actually blushed and teared up a bit, moved by his speech but also concerned for his welfare since she didn't love him back. At least not yet. Even so she knew she had to apologize for one thing:

"Spike I...I'm sorry if I unintentionally hurt you with the crushes I had in the past." She said.

"Oh it's okay." Spike smiled. "I didn't even care about your crush on Blueblood because I knew that you'd get over him after finding out what he's really like. I met him myself once, unfortunately, and so knew how selfish and vain he is. I just never told you because I figured you'd never believe me, plus I didn't want Twilight accusing me of being jealous. She never met Blueblood before, so she didn't know what he's really like until you told her and our other friends at Joe's Donut Shop."

"Ah. You were definitely right, I was appalled when I found out his true personality." Rarity winced but then smirked, obviously not enjoying the memories of hanging out with Blueblood but actually enjoying the memory of telling him off. "What about my other crushes?"

"Well...truthfully I'm sure I don't have a chance with you because of my being a dragon, so I'm fine with you ending up with somepony else as long as he makes you happy." Spike admitted. "That's what I really want, for you to be happy."

Rarity was so moved by that that she hugged Spike.

"I hope you will be happy too." She said.

Spike returned the hug, and they stayed like that for a few moments. Rarity then broke away.

"Well, I'm sorry to cut the visit short but the others are probably wondering where I am." She said.

"Yeah. Go ahead, I want to sleep right after dinner anyway." Spike smiled before yawning.

"Obviously." Rarity joked affectionately. "See you tomorrow Spike."

"G'night Rarity." Spike said before digging into his meal.

Rarity then quickly headed back to the castle due to being hungry. Sure enough her friends had been wondering where she was, but figured that she went to visit Spike. Rarity confirmed this, explaining that she was giving Spike a proper thank you for putting her welfare before his own.

After dinner Shining Armor and Cadance left to get Flurry Heart ready for bed, Twilight, Sunburst, Flicker, and Starlight decided to do a bit of reading and a chat, Princess Celestia left to take care of some letters the Canterlot Court sent her, Fluttershy decided to take a bath, Rainbow Dash went for a flight since she wasn't tired yet, and Pinkie Pie craved a treat and so headed for the castle's kitchen. Rarity however caught up with Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart after a few moments.

"Um...Cadance?" Rarity said awkwardly.

"Oh hi Rarity-" Cadance sensed that something was bothering Rarity. "Do you need my help with something?"

"Very much, can we talk privately in my room for a moment?"

"Of course. I'll be back in a little while dear." Cadance said to Shining Armor.

"No problem." Shining Armor smiled.

Cadance and Rarity went into Rarity's room.

"It's about Spike isn't it?" Cadance guessed knowingly.

"Yes, you see since he was willing to sacrifice his life for me I've been confused about what to do about his crush on me." Rarity explained. "I've always wanted to end up with a noblecolt and join the ranks of the elite, but so far I haven't found a noblecolt who's decent **and** single. And now knowing that Spike truly loves me instead of just having a crush...well it wouldn't be fair to turn him down but I don't want to give him a chance just because he deserves it. If...if I am going to date him, then I want to sincerely love him back because giving him hope only to reject him later would hurt him and I don't want to hurt him for anything in the world."

"Rarity, a noble heart is more important than noble blood." Cadance pointed out, sounding a bit disapproving about Rarity's goal. "Besides, you don't need to join the ranks of the elite because you're better than them. You are one of the heroes of Equestria after all, plus you're the Element of Generosity because you're one of the most generous ponies ever to live. As for Spike, his love for you is true. I've known it ever since my wedding with Shining Armor, I just never said anything before because it wasn't my place to bring it up. However I do agree that you shouldn't give him a chance just because he deserves it, you do have to sincerely love Spike back before giving him a chance."

"But...but I don't, at least not romantically." Rarity teared up a bit.

"If it's meant to be, you will when you're ready because your heart will tell you then." Cadance smiled. "So just listen to your heart and everything will work out for the best."

"Okay...thank you Cadance." Rarity smiled slightly.

"You're welcome."


	3. A New Growth in Maturity

The next morning, Shining Armor, Cadance, Sunburst, and the Mane Seven were ordered to meet Princess Celestia in the throne room.

"What is it Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"I have just received word from the hospital that something very surprising has happened to Spike." Princess Celestia explained. "Don't worry, the note said that it wasn't bad but it did say that we should go see Spike as soon as possible."

Everypony agreed and headed for the hospital. Once there they were greeted by the doctor who had been caring for Spike.

"Oh good, you received my note." The doctor said with relief.

"Of course, now what has happened to my son?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Well...to put it bluntly he's grown larger."

Everypony was shocked, and Princess Celestia and the Mane Six started to look a little nervous.

"Larger?" Starlight said. "But how is that possible?"

"None of us can figure it out, that's why I sent word for you to come." The doctor shrugged.

"Take us to him." Princess Celestia ordered, sounding concerned.

The doctor obliged, and once they reached Spike's room they saw through the window that the doctor was correct. Spike no longer looked like a baby dragon, instead he looked more like a small teenager dragon with a slight built to his arms and chest and a longer snout. He also was still asleep, meaning he most-likely had no idea of his sudden growth spurt.

"I don't understand...Spike only has these growth spurts when his greed gets out of hand and that only happened once." Twilight said. "Plus Spike hasn't shown any greed in a long time."

"Actually, Spike's growth is triggered by his wants and desires." Princess Celestia explained. "If they are selfish and greedy then he grows monstrous, but if they are selfless then he grows naturally and becomes more of a civilized dragon. I believe Spike's desire to make sure that Rarity would survive being trapped in the cave even at the cost of his own life triggered this growth spurt."

"Actually...it was also Spike wanting me to be happy whether or not I end up with him." Rarity said. "I also talked to him about his feelings for me last night, and he said that after I apologized for unintentionally hurting him with my past crushes."

"Putting your happiness before his own...that is a very selfless want." Starlight said softly, probably thinking of her past selfish wants...or maybe something else.

Spike then started to wake up, and he yawned and stretched without moving the IV tube to much. Then he realized that something was different, and looked himself over. He realized that he had grown larger and slowly started to panic.

"Oh no...oh no not again..." He said.

"Spike relax, this isn't a growth spurt of greed like last time." Twilight quickly entered the room to calm him down.

"It isn't?" Spike said hopefully.

"No my son, it is a selfless growth spurt. Your selfless desire for Rarity's happiness and welfare at the cost of your own caused this." Princess Celestia smiled.

"Oh." Spike smiled with relief. "Thank goodness."

He then saw the doctor.

"Hi doc, listen I'm feeling great right now so I think I may be ready to leave the hospital." Spike said.

"I've been checking on your progress, and you are correct." The doctor smiled. "You may leave later this morning after we finish your report and give you your breakfast."

"Great!" Spike grinned before sobering a little. "Say...mom...I know you have important stuff to attend to but...well, it's been great catching up with you..."

"I know, I've enjoyed catching up with you too. However I have to take care of something and I think it's time we all headed home." Princess Celestia smiled. "However you are more than welcome to visit me in Canterlot later if you'd like."

"You bet." Spike smiled.

"I'll make sure to leave some room in the schedule. I'd better go now...oh, and just a reminder son: your new growth will only remain civilized if you stay selfless and loving."

She then left.

"I think we'd better go too, to get ready to leave." Twilight decided. "I'll pack up your things for you Spike."

"Thanks sis." Spike smiled. "See you guys later."

The others said their 'laters' and left.

"Um...do you have to go?" Sunburst asked Starlight.

"Well...I am Twilight's student so I probably should." Starlight said reluctantly.

"Oh never mind that, I wouldn't be a good teacher of friendship if I didn't let my students hang out with their friends often." Twilight grinned. "You may stay in the Crystal Empire longer if you want."

"Really?" Starlight actually grinned. "Thank you Twilight."

"Yes, thank you." Sunburst agreed.

"No thanks are necessary." Twilight smiled before chuckling: "Now I'd better get going if I'm gonna get my things **and** Spike's things packed before Spike is let out of the hospital."

Starlight and Sunburst chuckled back, knowing that Twilight was only exaggerating.

After the Mane Six packed and had their bags sent to the train they headed for the hospital to meet Spike, who came out a few minutes later. He came out slowly though, still getting used to being tall and having longer legs even with a couple nurses supporting him. Now it's usually hospital protocol to let out patients via wheelchair no matter what they had been suffering from, but the doctor decided that it was best that Spike get used to walking in his new form before heading back to Ponyville.

Rarity couldn't help but stare at Spike. She was so used to him looking small and adorable that his new height and mature look was a little overwhelming to take in, especially since everypony could now see that he was a head taller than most ponies when they were walking on their hind legs. And even she couldn't deny it: he was now a handsome dragon.

Spike didn't notice Rarity staring at him due to focusing on walking without tripping, but Twilight did. So while the others went to Spike to take over helping him walk Twilight turned to Rarity.

"Spike does look different doesn't he?" Twilight said quietly. "Mature for one thing, not to mention handsome." She then winked.

Rarity blushed, getting where Twilight was going.

"Yes...okay, I admit that Spike deserves my love after what he's been through, it's just...I want to sincerely love him and I still don't know whether I do or not." Rarity sighed sadly. "I don't want to hurt him and I'm scared that I will."

Twilight's smile faded into a sympathetic expression. She only friendly-teased Rarity because she happily thought that Rarity was actually starting to return Spike's feelings.

"That's great Spike, you made it down the stairs without tripping." Twilight and Rarity suddenly heard Rainbow Dash say.

They turned and sure enough Spike was now at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, at this rate you'll be walking on your own before we reach the train station." Flicker grinned.

"Good thing too, it'll be awkward enough when everypony back home sees my new look without me wobbling around." Spike chuckled.

Everypony else chuckled, and then they headed for the train station. Once there they saw Princess Celestia approaching.

"Oh good, I managed to catch all of you before you left." She smiled. "I just want to let you know to come back within a week or two for a surprise."

"Really? What is it?" Pinkie Pie bounced repeatedly.

"Sorry, no hints." Princess Celestia winked. "I have to go now, but I'm sure I'll see you all again soon."

She flew away and Twilight and her friends entered the train. Most of them sat together, but Twilight gestured for herself and Rarity to sit away from them. Flicker noticed.

"Anything wrong?" He asked.

"Not really, I just want to talk to Rarity for a sec." Twilight said.

Flicker smiled understandingly and joined the others. Twilight and Rarity sat in a relatively empty area.

"I don't want Spike to get hurt either, but I also don't want you to force yourself to love him." Twilight said. "However I have to admit that you caring enough about Spike to worry about hurting him and his willingness to put your happiness and welfare before his is giving me a good feeling about the two of you ending up together. So I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Rarity smiled appreciatively, glad and relieved that at least Twilight approves of the idea of her ending up with Spike.

"I suppose you're right...Cadance did advise that I just listen to my heart, so I guess I'll just wait and see what it says." Rarity said.

"I think that's a good idea, especially since it'd probably be best to let the rest of Ponyville get used to Spike's new size first." Twilight nodded. "I doubt that they'd disapprove of you dating Spike and vice-versa, but a pony and a dragon dating has never happened before so I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up staring out of curiosity."

"Me either, especially since I know I would stare if I saw a dragon and pony date."


	4. Feelings Discovered

The train soon pulled into Ponyville, and Rarity hurried towards Spike.

"Oh Spike, since everypony will be wondering how you got so tall it's okay to tell them the truth." She said. "That is as long as you're comfortable doing so."

"I have been thinking about that, and yeah I decided that it would be best to just tell everypony the truth." Spike nodded before chuckling awkwardly: "Might as well get your parents' and Sweetie Belle's reactions out of the way anyway."

"Oh yes, I didn't think of that...well I do know that Sweetie Belle will be okay with it since she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders are very fond of you. My parents...I guess if nothing else will tolerate it due to you being close to the princesses. But I am sure they will accept it, they are very open-minded."

As they all left the train and started to enter the town portion of Ponyville the citizens stared jaw-dropped upon seeing Spike. They also started to look nervous, but didn't panic due to noticing that Flicker and the Mane Six were calm and even smiling near him.

"Hey Twi- Whoa Spike!" Minuette exclaimed as she approached them. "What the cornstalk has happened to you?"

"Growth spurt, kinda a long story." Spike chuckled.

Hearing this, the other ponies gathered nearby to hear better. More ponies came as well due to word of Spike's new height quickly spreading through the town. This time the town's potential for gossip was turning out to be a good thing, since having the entire town gather near Spike meant that he only needed to tell the story once. Not that he would mind repeating the story, but in this case he had other things on his mind.

Reconnecting with his mom for one thing, plus the fact that his feelings for Rarity were officially out in the open between the two. Meaning that sooner or later Rarity was going to have to make an official decision about the matter, especially now that Spike was even going to let the town know the truth. This meant that Rarity will soon have to deal with questions from the other ponies, and obviously the less of that the better.

So once he was sure the whole town, or at least most of the town, had arrived Spike spoke up:

"First of all, I know you all remember the last time I...had a growth spurt. I do as well, and the memory of it is probably more unpleasant for me than it is for you. So I want to reassure you that this growth spurt is nothing like the last one, in fact it's the complete opposite. My last growth spurt had to do with greed, due to not having been used to getting a lot of presents at the time."

"Which means that the last growth spurt was partially my fault." Twilight added. "Before coming to Ponyville Spike would only get one present from me, which was why getting so many presents had such a big effect on him. Learned the hard way that day that I should've studied dragons when we were both a lot younger."

"Never mind that, everything was resolved in the end and none of us hold a grudge about it." Mayor Mare smiled. "Now, what about this growth spurt?"

"This time it has to do with selflessness. After my growth spurt Princess Celestia explained to me that my growth is controlled by my wants and desires, and just recently I made two decisions based on very selfless desires." Spike explained. "The first one started when Rarity and I went into the mountains surrounding the Crystal Empire to collect gems..."

Spike continued, explaining how he and Rarity ended up trapped in a cave and how they dealt with it before being rescued.

"You see I was willing to sacrifice my life for Rarity because...because I love her." Spike admitted. "I have ever since we first met, the first day Twilight and I came to town."

All of the other ponies were stunned, mostly due to never having heard of a dragon being in love with a pony before.

"That was my first selfless desire, wanting Rarity alive and well no matter what. Even at the cost of my own life." Spike continued. "The second one happened when Rarity and I talked a bit about my feelings for her, and I told her that I'm okay with her ending up with somepony she loves as long as he makes her happy. Because I want her to be happy more than I want to be happy. I ended up growing overnight...and panicked a bit the next morning after I woke up before Twilight explained to me what had happened." Spike then chuckled.

A few of the other ponies chuckled a bit as well, not blaming Spike for having panicked.

"I know this is unusual, a dragon falling in love with a pony, but I did grow up amongst ponies and...well, Rarity is so kind and generous that I couldn't help loving her." Spike finished. "So I hope you all will accept this someday, even if you might not now."

Rarity couldn't keep from blushing a little.

However, the other ponies just smiled and quite a bit of them applauded. Despite the species difference they could already tell that Spike's feelings for Rarity were at least sincere if not true, plus they were very fond of Spike. Besides, if nothing else they didn't want to get into trouble with Twilight by not accepting it. They knew how protective of Spike she is after all...

Spike, Flicker, and the Mane Six smiled and relaxed. The crowd then started to thin and Minuette and three other ponies drew closer.

"Well I think this is great!" Minuette grinned. "I was always hoping that you and Twilight would get your special someponies someday - well some-dragon in Spike's case but since he found a special somepony instead then never mind. Actually that's why I'm here, same with Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Moondancer. We wanted to meet Flicker Sentry- Ah you must be him! Picked a handsome one Twilight." Minuette winked.

"Hey Minuette, don't embarrass them." Lemon Hearts smirked. "It's nice to meet you Flicker, I'm Lemon Hearts."

"Same, been wanting to meet you all as well but I wanted to get to know Cadance a bit first." Flicker smiled back. "After all, she is Twilight's sister-in-law. So if you're Lemon Hearts, then these must be Twinkleshine and Moondancer."

"That's right." Twinkleshine smiled.

"Hello, it is very nice to meet you." Moondancer said politely, though with a smile.

As Flicker got to know Twilight's old Canterlot friends Rarity's family showed up.

"We've been thinking about things." Rarity's mom Cookie Crumbles said. "And while we haven't heard of a dragon loving a pony before you are a good one, so we accept this."

"Yes, especially since you were willing to sacrifice your life for Rarity." Rarity's dad Hondo Flanks agreed. "We're very grateful to you for that."

Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles then hugged Spike, who was a little surprised but smiled and returned the hug. Sweetie Belle joined in on the hug too.

"In my case I'm very happy, I love the idea of you and Rarity ending up together." Sweetie Belle grinned. "This means you really will become my brother."

"Heh, not yet Sweetie Rarity hasn't even returned my feelings yet." Spike chuckled, ruffling Sweetie's mane.

"What?" Sweetie Belle turned to Rarity with shock. "Why not?"

"Well...I..." Rarity flustered, not sure how to answer that.

"Now Sweetie dear you are forgetting that Spike is still a dragon." Hondo Flanks pointed out. "I'm sure Rarity is still figuring things out because of that."

"Yes, give your sister time to think things over." Cookie Crumbles agreed.

Rarity sighed with relief. Even though her parents were a little embarrassing at times she was grateful that they mostly understood her, even though they didn't completely understand her love for high fashion and the upperclass life.

"Fine." Sweetie Belle pouted.

"Spike come on, it's time to head home and unpack." Twilight said.

"Coming sis." Spike said. "See you all later."

"Bye Spike!" Sweetie Belle waved.

"See you later Spike." Rarity smiled.

"Hey sis, can I help you carry your luggage back?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well..." Rarity hesitated, knowing that Sweetie Belle still wanted to know why she won't accept Spike's feelings; however she did want to talk with somepony about the situation, so she gave in. "Of course you can."

"Great. I'll be home later mom and dad." Sweetie Belle smiled.

"Very well." Cookie Crumbles smiled back before she and Hondo Flanks left.

"So, you love the idea of Spike becoming your brother?" Rarity said.

"Oh yeah, he's been like a brother to me for a long time." Sweetie Belle smiled as she gathered the lighter pieces of Rarity's luggage. "Remember Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding? Spike and I had a lot of fun talking about the wedding and other subjects. He didn't tell me about his feelings for you though, but I guess he thought that you wouldn't want me bringing it up."

"He is right, before today I was only comfortable with Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash knowing about it. And that was only because they already figured it out due to his feelings for me being kind of obvious to them."

"Ah."

They remained silent until they went into the Carousel Boutique and started putting Rarity's things away.

"Okay, now that we're alone...well I understand if you can't really explain it but I still can't figure out why you would have a problem with dating Spike. I don't even see the dragon detail as a big deal." Sweetie Belle said.

"I know, it's just...before today I always saw Spike as a baby dragon and so thought it'd be wrong to date him because of that." Rarity sighed. "But now that he doesn't look like a baby dragon anymore, it's become clear to me that he really is close to the maturity of my generation. But he's still a dragon, and I don't want to risk ruining any chance I have of ending up with a noblecolt."

"What? But you haven't met a decent noblecolt yet, apart from Fancy Pants but he's already married to Fleur Dis Lee." Sweetie Belle frowned.

"Yes...I know but...well...Spike still is a dragon..." Rarity stammered.

"*Ugh!* Sis!" Sweetie Belle cried frustratedly before singing:

You've always had this problem

Going for appearance first

Haven't you learned already

That what looks the best is sometimes the worst

What about when you got your Cutie Mark

At first all you saw was a rock

It took a boom of friendship

To stop you from your balk

And I haven't forgotten

That tale you told me before

About a prince who was handsome

But otherwise he was a total boar!

Forget that Spike is a dragon

Forget that he isn't a pony

Because when it comes to a heart of gold

He's certainly no phony!

Now I'm not forcing you to love him

That's entirely up to you

But the point of my song is

Sometimes you need to get a clue

As to what is more important

And what doesn't matter as much

What will only hurt you in the end

And what will cause your heart to be touched

Rarity teared up during the song, realizing that she was being shallow and foalish. It doesn't matter what species Spike is, what matter is that he has a good heart and truly loves her. And after thinking about all the times they spent together, and all that he's done for her...

"Sweetie...thank you. You're right, it's what's on the inside that counts and...well, what Spike has on the inside I have to admit I love very much." Rarity smiled, now knowing that she really did love Spike.

"Yes! I knew it! You have to tell him!" Sweetie Belle cheered.

"You're right, but first I have to get something..." Rarity smiled, looking as if she was thinking of a plan.


	5. Heartbreaking Nightmare

Later that night Spike stared at the night sky on his new larger bed. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Spike said.

Twilight entered.

"You okay Spike? My sibling sense told me that something was bothering you." She said.

"Not really, just wondering if Rarity really will love me back or not." Spike sighed.

"Well if she doesn't she'll always care about you." Twilight said comfortingly. "In fact she even told me that she's scared of hurting you."

"I'm actually glad to hear that." Spike smiled. "You know, I think tomorrow I'll tell Rarity that if she ends up with somepony else it won't hurt me as long as she's happy."

"That's a good idea, but as for now it's late and we'd best go to sleep."

"So says the nocturnal bookworm." Spike teased.

"Very funny." Twilight smirked. "But seriously, at least you need to sleep."

"Yeah...good night sis."

"Good night little- Er, younger bro." Twilight chuckled.

Spike chuckled back, and snuggled under the covers with his Rarity plushie.

 _But suddenly, he saw Rarity flirting with a noblecolt._

" _Hi Rarity, who is this?" Spike said politely._

 _Rarity didn't even look at him._

" _Rarity?" Spike grew a bit concerned. "Can you hear me?"_

 _Rarity and the noblecolt started to walk away._

" _Rarity come back! Don't leave me!" Spike cried, trying to run after them but somehow not able to catch up. "RARITY!"_

 _Rarity and the noblecolt disappeared._

" _Spike." A familiar voice said._

" _Huh?" Spike turned around and saw a concerned Princess Luna behind him. "Oh...Princess Luna? This must be a bad dream then." He said with relief._

" _It is my nephew, and you can just call me Luna. Or Aunt Luna." Princess Luna smiled._

" _Mom told you huh?"_

" _She did, after she explained why she flew faster than a Wonderbolt to the Crystal Empire." Princess Luna giggled._

" _Heh, wish I could've seen that. She must've really surprised Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie." Spike chuckled. "Pinkie may be an Earth pony but she's a surprisingly fast one."_

" _I know...now Spike, what brought on this nightmare?" Princess Luna became serious again. "You know Rarity would never forget you, especially not after what you've done for her."_

" _I know, it's just..." Spike teared up. "I'm scared Rarity won't return my feelings, because if she doesn't then...then it'll break my heart. And I can't tell her or even Twilight because I don't want to hurt them."_

" _I understand your selflessness, but if Rarity doesn't return your feelings and your heart gets broken then she and Twilight will find out anyway. And the reveal that you kept that a secret from them will only worsen the pain they'll feel. So you have to tell Twilight the truth, or at least your mother."_

" _But..." Spike started sobbing. "But if Rarity doesn't return my feelings then I'm afraid nothing will be able to heal my heart, so what good would telling even mom would do?"_

" _Oh my nephew, if Rarity doesn't return your feelings then she simply isn't the one for you and your heart will eventually heal." Princess Luna reassuringly brought a hoof to the side of his chin._

" _I don't believe it, how can I find anypony better than Rarity?"_

" _Don't worry Spike, either way things will work out in the end but until then you have to tell Twilight or your mother the truth."_

 _Spike sobbed a bit longer, and then sighed._

" _All right." He gave in._

The next morning Spike woke up and reluctantly got out of bed and slowly headed for the kitchen. He hesitated at the door, and then took a deep breath and opened it. Twilight was already there making breakfast.

"Good morning Spike, did you sleep well?" Twilight smiled.

"Yeah, thanks to Aunt Luna." Spike admitted.

Twilight's smile faded and she turned off the stove so that the pancakes wouldn't overcook too much.

"You had a nightmare?" She said concernedly.

"Yeah, but Aunt Luna helped me with that. Turned out it was just the result of..." Spike sighed. "Twilight, I have a confession to make: I lied to you last night."

"What?" Twilight grew worried, knowing what he was talking about.

"Yes, you see if Rarity doesn't return my feelings then...then it'll break my heart forever." Spike teared up.

"Oh Spike..." Twilight hugged him, also in tears. "I wish you told me earlier."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to hurt you." Spike sobbed a little.

"I understand." Twilight hugged him a bit longer and then pulled away with a sad smile. "Tell you what, if Rarity doesn't return your feelings then we'll visit Cadance and talk to her about it. Maybe she'll know what to do for your pain."

"All right." Spike smiled sadly.


	6. Rarity Gives Spike Her Heart

After breakfast Twilight started to leave only to find Rarity just entering the throne room. Twilight couldn't help but stare since Rarity looked more groomed than usual, plus she was wearing her saddlebags and the Fire Ruby necklace Spike gave her years ago.

"Oh good morning Twilight, I hope I haven't arrived too early." Rarity said.

"Oh no, actually I was coming to see you." Twilight said. "Um, Rarity, is today a special occasion? Because you seem more groomed than usual."

"Oh I've just been at the spa, got a little dirty from digging up a gem yesterday so I wanted to make up for it." Rarity blushed. "Uh...is Spike around?"

"Yeah, I think he's washing the dishes or something. I'll go get him." Twilight said before leaving for the kitchen.

Sure enough Spike was slowly washing the dishes, apparently lost in thought.

"Uh Spike? Spike?." Twilight said; Spike didn't answer so she went closer to him. "Spike?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Twilight. What's up, I thought you were going to talk to Rarity?" Spike said.

"Already did, she just arrived. And...she's asking for you." Twilight rubbed the back of her head.

"Aw great...well, might as well get it over with." Spike sighed.

"Actually...well I don't want to get your hopes up too much, but she arrived extra-groomed and wearing the Fire Ruby you gave her. Plus she was smiling and blushed at one point. So it may be good news."

"Really? Huh...well, I'd better check anyway." Spike dried his hands and headed for the throne room with Twilight.

However once he reached the throne room he hesitated at actually approaching Rarity. Twilight comfortingly put a hoof at his side to encourage him on.

"Hello Spike, I came here to apologize." Rarity spoke up, knowing why Spike was hesitant in approaching her.

"Apologize? For what?" Twilight asked.

"For not returning his feelings in the past simply because he's a dragon." Rarity explained. "It took a song from Sweetie Belle yesterday to get me to see how...well, how shallow and foolish I've been. You see Spike, your personality and what's in your heart is what really matters and...well..." She blushed again. "I love what's in your heart."

Spike slowly smiled, starting to grasp what she was saying. Twilight beamed as well.

"Rarity, does this mean...do you...?" Spike said hopefully.

"Yes Spike, I love you." Rarity smiled.

Spike was so happy he started to tear up.

"This is wonderful!" Twilight grinned.

"Yeah- Oh." Spike then looked down sadly. "Um...my being a prince had nothing to do with you loving me back right?"

Rarity dropped her mouth open and put a hoof to it.

"Wha- You're a prince?" She said with shock. "I had no idea."

Spike and Twilight both raised an eyebrow with surprise and confusion.

"Uh, Rarity, you were there when Princess Celestia called Spike her son and I did mention that she was the one who raised Spike." Twilight pointed out.

"Oh." Rarity blushed. "I only heard a little bit of that conversation because I was too busy focusing on the fact that Spike was willing to die to keep me alive. Then I started worrying about hurting him if I didn't return his feelings, so I was never able to realize that being Princess Celestia's son made Spike a prince. Kinda silly huh?"

"Not really, but after knowing Pinkie Pie very few things seem silly anymore." Spike chuckled.

Twilight and Rarity chuckled as well. Then Rarity looked as if she remembered something.

"Oh I almost forgot, I made this for you last night." Rarity used her magic to pull a dark-green sash with a Fire Ruby on it out of her saddlebags. "You see you gave me a Fire Ruby out of your love for me, so I wanted to return your love in a similar manner."

She then used her magic to tie the sash onto Spike so that it was draped over his shoulder and the Fire Ruby lay against his chest. Spike quickly wiped a tear from an eye.

"Thank you Rarity, it's wonderful." He smiled. "And by the way, you worrying about me enough to keep you from grasping the fact that I'm a prince just means that you care more about me than you do about trivial details. Which isn't silly at all."

"You consider being a prince a trivial detail?" Rarity was stunned.

"Well Spike never wanted the fact that he's a prince to influence his social life or how others view him, so he kept it a secret." Twilight shrugged. "That's why neither of us brought it up before and Spike never called Princess Celestia mom in public before."

"Yeah, you see I never cared about titles at all, I only care about what ponies and other creatures are like on the inside." Spike smiled. "And to me Rarity, you are more of a lady than all of the elite mares in Canterlot put together. Well except for mom and Aunt Luna, just to be fair."

Twilight chuckled while Rarity looked very touch.

"So...would you...like to go out on a date tonight?" Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I would love to." Rarity smiled. "Which would you prefer: a simple date here or a fancy one in Canterlot? Truthfully I've always wanted a date in Canterlot, but a simple date here would suit us better."

"I agree, so how about we have tonight's date here and the next date in Canterlot?" Spike suggested.

"That sounds perfect. Well, sorry to cut the visit short but I do have some orders to fill out and I want to get a good head's start on them before this evening."

"That's okay, I've never had a date before so I'll probably need the whole day to get ready anyway." Spike chuckled.

"No not the whole day...well maybe half a day." Twilight teased.

"Ha ha, very funny sis." Spike noogied her gently.

Rarity giggled.

"I'll see you this evening." Rarity started to leave.

"Wait, where should we go for our date?" Spike asked.

"How about we just go to the cafe for dinner and then go to Sugarcube Corner for some dessert? We can tell at least Pinkie Pie if not all of our friends the good news then." Rarity suggested.

"Sounds great." Spike grinned.

"How about I ask our friends to hang out at Sugarcube Corner with me for dessert tonight?" Twilight suggested.

"That would be lovely, thank you Twilight." Rarity smiled. "Well, those dresses aren't going to make themselves." She then left.

"Neither are the reservations, I'd better make sure there'll be a free table at the cafe tonight." Spike realized.

"That's a good idea. I'll go see Pinkie now to make sure there'll be at least two free tables at Sugarcube Corner tonight." Twilight nodded.

"Great, then I think I'll take a bath to ensure I'll look my best." Spike considered. "Hm...wonder if I should wear anything to dinner?"

"Since it's a casual date I doubt it'll be necessary, but if you want I can stop by Rarity's next to see if she's planning to wear anything." Twilight offered. "I can also ask her if she wouldn't mind making you a tux for tomorrow's date since you have to dress up formally for outings in Canterlot."

"Good idea, especially since Rarity is the only one who can make clothes that'll actually fit me." Spike then winced. "It's not easy having a unique body shape."

"That is true...maybe I can write to Princess Celestia about having the tailors in Canterlot make outfits in your style. That way we won't always have to ask Rarity. I mean I know she doesn't mind, but I don't like asking her when she's swamped with work."

"Me either."

Spike then left to talk to the waiters in the cafe. Fortunately ponies ate at the cafe mostly for lunch, meaning that a free table for Spike and Rarity was guaranteed. Sure enough a waiter who was able to get a few moments to talk to Spike confirmed this.

Twilight quickly wrote the letter to Princess Celestia and mailed it using her mail sending spell. She then headed out to Sugarcube Corner, but only Mr. Cake was behind the counter.

"Oh hello Mr. Cake, where is Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked.

"Upstairs with Mrs. Cake, they're playing puppet show with Pumpkin and Pound." Mr. Cake smiled. "Go ahead up, I'm sure Pinkie would enjoy you watching a bit of her performance."

"I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of it myself." Twilight chuckled before heading upstairs.

Just as she reached Pumpkin and Pound's room she saw a puppet show stage with a pink sheep puppet and a blue sheep puppet.

"Hey Frizzle, do you know why the teddy bear couldn't eat dessert?" Pinkie said through the pink sheep puppet.

"I dunno Wooly, why?" Mrs. Cake said through the blue sheep puppet.

"Because he was stuffed!"

Pound and Pumpkin laughed, and so did Twilight. Hearing an extra voice laughing, Mrs. Cake and Pinkie looked through the curtain.

"Oh hey Twilight, come to watch our show?" Pinkie grinned.

"Not intentionally, though I am enjoying it." Twilight smiled. "Actually I came here to ask a favor: do you think you could reserve at least two tables here tonight? I'm planning on inviting our best friends here for dessert then."

"Oh sure, today isn't very busy anyway." Pinkie smiled. "But only as long as I can join you."

"Of course, you are one of my friends after all." Twilight smiled. "And considering how many best friends we have, I'd better get going if I want to invite them all in time."

"Since I'm faster I could invite them for you. As long as I don't have to sing the invitations." Pinkie offered.

Twilight and Mrs. Cake chuckled, remembering how Pinkie once used singing invitations for Gummy's first birthday party...and soon regretted it.

"Thanks Pinkie, but I was actually hoping you could start preparing some special desserts for tonight." Twilight said.

"She does have a point dear, if she's planning on inviting a lot of friends then we'll need to prepare a lot of desserts." Mrs. Cake agreed.

"Heh, oh yeah." Pinkie had to admit that they had a point. "What are you thinking of ordering?"

"Well I don't know what most of our friends would want, but I would like to pre-order a heart-shaped chocolate cake." Twilight said.

"For Flicker right?" Mrs. Cake guessed.

"Well...not exactly. Not gonna say for who though, it's not my place to tell."

"Oh no..." Pinkie groaned, instantly remembering that tortuous day when she found out that Shining Armor and Cadance were expecting a foal yet she wasn't allowed to breathe a word to anypony.

"Relax Pinkie, you're allowed to guess and tell Mr. and Mrs. Cakes your guesses." Twilight chuckled.

"Thank you..." Pinkie said with relief.

"Well, I'd better go invite our friends. It was nice seeing you again Mrs. Cake." Twilight left.

"It was wonderful seeing you too Twilight." Mrs. Cake smiled.

Twilight then headed over to Rarity's to ask about outfits for tonight. Rarity had just planned on wearing her Fire Ruby necklace since a cafe didn't call for much in the clothing department. Then Twilight asked about a tux for Spike for tomorrow.

"Way ahead of you dear, I already realized that he'll need a new one for tomorrow's date." Rarity smiled. "I was just debating between a simple tux and a fancy tux, and decided to go with a tux that'll match the dress I'm planning to wear."

"That's a good idea- You already decided on what to wear?" Twilight was surprised since it usually took Rarity a while to decide on an outfit.

"Yes, I decided to go with a pink and burgundy gown that matches the cape I made so that my Fire Ruby necklace would look like a brooch with it. Plus burgundy slippers and my first Grand Galloping Gala tiara."

"So basically a princess outfit which means you're going to give Spike a princely tux." Twilight smirked.

"Um...yes." Rarity was a little caught off-guard that Twilight figured it out so quickly. "Oh not too princely, at least I won't give him a crown or anything since I know he still wants to keep his true status a secret. I just want to make sure that we look like we belong in Canterlot since the restaurants and shows there can be very particular about who they let in."

"I understand." Twilight chuckled. "And you're right, it wouldn't be good if any of the restaurants or shows refuse to let you or Spike in just because of what you're wearing. Not that you have anything to worry about given that you've become close friends with Fancy Pants, but Spike isn't that well known amongst the elite so it won't hurt to give him a fancy outfit."

"Exactly my point." Rarity smiled.

"Well, looking forward to seeing both outfits tomorrow but as for now I'd better invite the rest of our friends to Sugarcube Corner. See you later this evening." Twilight smiled before leaving.

"See you." Rarity waved before getting back to work.

Twilight then went to see Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Applejack was more than willing to come since she usually didn't have work to do in the evening and always liked having a treat with her friends. Fluttershy of course definitely agreed to come, and Rainbow Dash also agreed to come.


	7. The First Date

Later that evening Spike left to pick up Rarity at Carousel Boutique. Since Twilight told him that Rarity was only wearing her Fire Ruby necklace he decided to just wear his Fire Ruby sash. They then walked to the cafe together and had a nice time chatting...and even eating, since Spike decided to bring a few gems to garnish his salad with.

After dinner they walked around for a bit to digest, and then headed for Sugarcube Corner. They spotted most of their friends at one table, and so headed for the table next to it. The only friends missing were Twilight's old Canterlot friends, since they returned home the previous day and Twilight didn't want to make them take another trip to Ponyville so soon. Well plus Starlight and Sunburst weren't there for obvious reasons. Also Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren't there, but that was because they were spending a little more time with Pumpkin and Pound before heading to bed (which was why Twilight asked Pinkie instead of them for the reservations).

"Oh my gosh I knew it!" Pinkie leapt into the air. "Spike and Rarity are dating!"

Discord, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash looked stunned, but Fluttershy beamed.

"Oh Rarity this is wonderful!" She said, going over to hug Rarity. "I always did thought that Spike would make a wonderful special some-dragon for you. After all he always was a thoughtful and kind dragon, plus his love for you was always stronger than anything else. Oh! And Spike being Princess Celestia's son means that he's a prince, so you finally got your dream of dating a prince! This is just working out wonderfully for both of you. I can't wait for Princess Celestia to find out as well, I know she'll be very happy. When are you going to tell her?"

Everyone looked very surprised.

"Well, Fluttershy's definitely happy." Rainbow Dash remarked.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth and blushed embarrassedly.

"Well, I have to admit it's been a long time since I last heard of two species dating." Discord remarked.

"You mean this sort of thing has happened before?" Applejack was surprised.

"Where do you think I came from?" Discord scoffed amusedly.

"Oh..."

The ponies and Spike looked at each other, realizing that they had never thought about how Discord got his appearance. But having had different species for ancestors was a logical explanation.

A.N. At least it's a logical explanation to me given what magic is capable of in that show.

"Oh Spike, I just remembered that I've been wondering something: if you didn't care about being a prince then what about back during the Grand Equestria Pony Summit when you took over for Twilight?" Rarity asked, remembering when Twilight told her about it and also wanting to change the subject.

"Oh that? Well I was feeling left out at the time because I really wanted to help as well, so when Twilight needed to rest I couldn't resist taking over." Spike explained. "It really was so that Twilight could get some rest, but it was also the first time I had ever experienced the perks of being a member of royalty. Because of that I ended up liking it too much and got carried away."

"You mean you never experienced what it was like to be royalty back when Princess Celestia raised you?" Rainbow Dash said with surprise.

"Nope. Mom arranged for that on purpose so that I would grow up humble. Worked for the most part, though later on I did start feeling a little insecure due to being the only dragon amongst ponies and began acting a little vain and egotistical to keep my self-esteem up." Spike shrugged.

"I can understand that feeling." Discord admitted, and no one blamed him either.

"Oh Pinkie, can you get the cake now?" Twilight asked.

"You bet." Pinkie smiled before leaving and returning with the heart-shaped chocolate cake. "Here you go Spike and Rarity, Twilight ordered this for you."

"Oh Twilight, this is a wonderful surprise." Rarity smiled.

"Wow thanks sis, this almost looks too good to eat." Spike grinned.

He then suddenly burped up a letter from Princess Celestia.

"Huh, wonder what mom wants." Spike remarked, surprised to get a letter from her this late; he then cleared his throat. "Dear son, I understand that you want to be respected for being yourself rather than for being a prince. However after recent events I've decided that it's time to officially reveal your prince title to all of Equestria, as you now deserve it more than ever. Also because of this I'm agreeing to Twilight's request to have the Canterlot tailors start making outfits in your size and style, including outfits befitting a prince attending a formal event. Love, mom."

"I agree with Princess Celestia, you really have earned the prince title." Twilight smiled.

"Not to mention the fact that Precious Scales is a much better prince than Blueblood will ever be." Rarity added. "But then that goes without saying."

Everyone else chuckled.

"All right then. Pinkie, can you get me a sheet of paper please?" Spike asked.

"Sure thing your highness." Pinkie grinned before leaving and coming back with paper. "Not that I'll continue calling you that, just showing my approval over Princess Celesita's decision."

"Got it." Spike chuckled before writing: "Dear mom, Rarity earlier returned my feelings for who I am rather than for being a prince, so I don't care who knows about my title anymore. I can now handle any social climbers since I have both true friends and true love. Love, your son Spike."

He then sent the letter. A few moments later he burped up a note.

"Very well then, I'll make the announcement tomorrow. Also congratulations, I have been hoping for a long time that Rarity would one day return your feelings. I'm very happy for you both." Spike read.

"She knew all along?" Applejack said. "I mean I know she's all powerful and all, but- Wait a minute, you told her yourself didn't you Spike?"

"Of course." Spike chuckled. "I've told mom almost everything through letters. When I first wrote to her about Rarity she approved but also advised me to be patient and just stick with being a good friend to her since she figured that my species would prevent her from returning my feelings right away."

"Boy she's good." Rarity remarked.

"Yeah, and you know what? I actually love that about her." Spike smiled.


	8. The First Royal Date

The next morning Spike and Rarity got ready for their date, which was to take place in the afternoon. Spike already arranged for a few details, which he got thanks to Princess Celestia having already announced his title to Canterlot and Ponyville (it'd be a while before the news reached farther-away cities/towns).

"Boy, already got a bonus from others knowing of my real title." Spike chuckled after receiving confirmations from Princess Celestia. "Doubt I would've gotten the tickets and reservations this quickly otherwise. Good thing too, I know Rarity will love what I set up for her."

"I'm sure of it as well." Twilight chuckled. "Just try not to go overboard like you did during the Grand Equestria Pony Summit."

"Relax, I've already made a promise to myself to only take advantage of my title for good reasons. Like arranging for the perfect date with Rarity, and lowering the egos of the Canterlot snobs a few notches when necessary."

"How so?"

"By doing what Fancy Pants does: approve of things the snobs already rejected. Plus sticking up for anypony they put down."

"Ah, good." Twilight nodded approvingly. "Oh...just remembered. I know Blueblood is one of the worst examples of Canterlot snobs, but please go easy on him."

"Relax, I'm never going to stoop to his level. And I'll talk to mom first before doing anything to him."

"Fair enough."

After getting ready Spike picked up Rarity at the Carousel Boutique.

"Just before we go Precious Scales I want you to try on your new suit." Rarity smiled. "Have to make sure I got all the measurements and details right. Thank goodness Twilight measured you and sent me the measurements yesterday."

"Sure thing, especially since I'm going to be wearing it during our date." Spike smiled; he then saw the suit. "Wow, that is definitely a noble-looking suit."

"Why thank you, I did my best to make it look princely without making it look too obvious." Rarity said. "Of course that was because I started working on it before Princess Celestia decided that it was time to reveal your title to all of Equestria, but it still came out nicely."

"I'll say, plus it's a good starter suit. It'll help me get used to dressing formally more often before I have to start wearing the really formal royal outfits."

"Hm, that is an excellent point."

Spike then tried on the suit, and fortunately it fit perfectly. He was even able to wear his sash over it, because Rarity took it into consideration when she first started working on the design.

"I'm going to wear my Fire Ruby necklace on our date, so I want you to wear your Fire Ruby sash." Rarity explained.

"Good, 'cause so do I." Spike grinned. "Wow, I do look like a prince."

"That you do darling. Now if you will excuse me, I need to put on my gown."

"Of course."

Rarity left for a few moments to get dressed.

"Okay Precious Scales, I'm ready." She then said behind Spike.

"Great, let's-" Spike stopped and dropped his mouth open upon seeing Rarity; his heart stopped for a moment too. "Gah-"

Rarity was wearing a form-fitting gown with a bustle, both in the same color and style as her Fire Ruby cape. She also was wearing her Fire Ruby necklace, her first Grand Galloping Gala tiara, and the matching slippers she mentioned to Twilight. Her hair was done up in a bun befitting a princess, and she was wearing eyeshadow to match the lighter color of the outfit.

"Thank you Spike, that's a lovely compliment." Rarity flirted, pleased that she had put together an outfit attractive enough to leave Spike speechless.

Spike's heart started beating wildly, and he felt hot under the collar.

"Well, we'd better be going. Don't want to miss a second of our date in Canterlot." Rarity said coyly.

Spike gulped, unable to move his legs. Getting it, Rarity flirtingly sauntered up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Spike's heart beat even faster and he swooned to the ground. Fortunately he soon recovered enough to walk, so he and Rarity were able to leave on their date without ending up late for anything. He completely recovered once they sat down in the train.

"Whoa...if I keep getting lovesick like that Owlowiscious will have to fill in for me full-time." Spike sighed, feeling his heart still beating fast.

"Oh I'm sure you'll get used to it soon." Rarity flirted.

Spike's eyes widened a little and he blushed with a smile, realizing that Rarity was probably going to keep doing that to him for a long time.

"Heh, be sure to go easy on me Rarity. If you keep making me lovesick like that I might end up having a heart attack one day." Spike chuckled.

"I'll do my best, but I'm not promising anything." Rarity winked.

Spike's heart skipped a beat.

Once they reached Canterlot they saw all of the ponies there bowing at them.

"Well, that's one thing that'll take me a long time to get used to." Spike remarked.

"Ah Prince Spike, jolly good to see you." Fancy Pants suddenly showed up with his wife Fleur Dis Lee following. "Hello dear Rarity."

"Good afternoon Fancy Pants." Rarity smiled.

"Hello Fancy Pants. And you can skip the prince part, I'm kinda too humble for formalities like that." Spike smiled.

"Very well, if you insist." Fancy Pants smiled. "I have to say, I was a bit surprised when I learned about you being Princess Celestia's son. But after thinking about it I had to admit that it wouldn't do for a young student like Twilight to care for a baby while attending to her studies."

"Nope, thought Twilight did take care of me often. Mostly when mom was busy with her duties though."

"Makes sense. I say, that is quite a dashing outfit you're wearing."

"Thanks, Rarity just made it yesterday along with the gown she's wearing." Spike smiled. "We wanted to dress up for our date today."

"Not surprised to hear- Did you say date?"

"Why yes, Spike here has had feelings for me for a long time and I just returned them yesterday." Rarity smiled. "You see I have to admit I was a bit blind at first, I couldn't look past Spike's species. But once I learned to look past it I discovered that the noble guy I had been looking for was right there in front of me all along."

"Hm...would his nobility have anything to do with his strapping new appearance?" Fleur Dis Lee smiled.

"I was just wondering that myself." Fancy Pants admitted.

"Yeah, mom explained to me that my growth was based on my desires and not too long ago I made some really selfless desires." Spike nodded.

"Basically he wanted my happiness to come before his own whether or not I returned his feelings." Rarity added.

"Well, this is a fine change of pace from - if you'll forgive me - your selfish behavior during the Grand Equestria Pony Summit." Fancy Pants noted.

"Heh, not gonna live that one down am I?" Spike chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh you did, I was just approving of your change for the better."

"Ah. Yeah I know, I got carried away then. Was never treated like royalty before so I got a little too used to it, plus I really did want to help out and felt left out when I was pretty much ignored."

"Well I confess I can't blame you for that. Perhaps your mother should let you participate in court now and then so that you can help others more often." Fancy Pants suggested.

"Hmm...not a bad idea." Spike considered. "But I probably should start off with small decisions and work my way up."

"I think that's a wise decision." Rarity said. "Now, sorry to cut the conversation short but Spike had arranged for a few things for our date and I don't want to risk us being late for any of them."

"Oh we still have about a half-hour, but it wouldn't hurt to get there early." Spike reassured her.

"In that case we'll leave you to your date. And congratulations Spike, you really did choose a wonderful mare." Fancy Pants smiled.

"I've always known that." Spike smiled.

"I'm happy for you both, especially since it can be hard to end up with the right one when you're part of the elite. I still feel lucky that Fancy Pants chose me out of all of the eligible mares here." Fleur Dis Lee smiled.

"Well my dear, you are one of the few elite mares with a heart of gold." Fancy Pants smiled lovingly at her. "Toodle-oo Spike, Rarity, we'll see you two later."

"Especially me since I'm considering getting a new gown." Fleur Dis lee added.

"Wonderful, I'd be more than happy to help you select the perfect one." Rarity smiled.

"Bye Fancy Pants, bye Fleur Dis Lee." Spike waved a little.

"So Spike, what's first?" Rarity asked.

"A play. Not gonna spoil which one it is though."

"Very well. How about on the way there you tell me a little about what it was like being raised by Princess Celestia?"

"I actually have been wanting to tell you and the rest of our friends: it was great." Spike grinned. "Despite how busy she often was she still always made sure to make time for just the two of us, and her love for me was so obvious that I never doubted it, not even once. She would always play with me or read me stories, and sometimes she'd make silly faces just to make me laugh. And whenever she had to cut our time together short for an important meeting she always reassured me that if she had a choice she'd rather spend time with me than in a meeting. Apart from Aunt Luna I was also the only one she was never formal around, because with me she wasn't a ruler but a mom. Sometimes it was even hard to remember that she's a princess, and if it wasn't for her crown I probably would've forgotten it many times."

"She does sound like a wonderful mother, not that it's surprising." Rarity smiled. "What about Twilight helping her?"

"Well as I said to Fancy Pants sometimes Twilight took over raising me, at least after mom taught her how to raise a baby dragon anyway. Before then either a servant or Aunt Cadance took over, though since I was so young back then I don't remember anything about it. In fact if it wasn't for Twilight telling me I probably wouldn't even know about it."

"I guess since you and Twilight later spent so much time together Princess Celestia was okay with you leaving for Ponyville with Twilight instead of staying at the palace with her." Rarity said.

"Oh she did tell me that she would miss me a lot, but at that point it had become my duty to be Twilight's assistant. You see after I learned how to write mom assigned me to help Twilight in her studies. She believed that it would do me good to learn a few responsibilities, plus Twilight wasn't very social back then and probably didn't even see her study buddies - Moondancer and the others - as friends. Because of that mom also wanted me to constantly keep Twilight company so that she'd be more open to future friendships. This is what led to me and Twilight developing a sister-brother relationship, though unlike mom Twilight got so into her studies that sometimes her love for me wasn't so obvious. This was why I soon developed a fear of her not loving and needing me anymore, especially since I had grown to deeply love her like a sister. And since I was afraid to even mention my fear to her she never knew about it until when we were looking for the Crystal Heart, because Sombra had created a door beneath the palace that leads you to your worst nightmares."

"Goodness!" Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. "I'm glad that doesn't exist anymore, even though I'd never go down there anyway I'd still hate to fall victim to it."

"Yeah, it was awful. After I became a victim of it I admitted what I saw to Twilight and she reassured me that she'd always love and need me." Spike then smiled. "I haven't been scared of her not loving me anymore since."

By this point they had reached the theater. Rarity gasped.

"Cinderbella? That's my favorite ballet!" She beamed.

A.N. I couldn't think of a proper pony version of Cinderella, so I decided to just change 'ella' to 'bella' since you can put jingle bells on a horse harness.

"I know." Spike smiled.

They went inside and enjoyed the ballet very much, though in Spike's case he enjoyed Rarity's company more than the story itself. In Rarity's case Spike's company and the ballet were equally enjoyable.

After the ballet was over Spike then called for a carriage and told the driver to go to one of the fanciest restaurants in Canterlot.

"Exquisite choice, I always did want to dine there." Rarity smiled.

"That's good, because I'm sure it's one of the few restaurants I'd enjoy eating at." Spike chuckled. "Most of the restaurants around here serve portions that are too small for me, but not this one."

After a delicious meal Spike called for another carriage and had it drop them off in front of the palace.

"The castle? Are we going to see your mom and aunt?" Rarity guessed.

"Not officially, though we might run into them. Actually I thought you'd enjoy a walk through the castle gardens." Spike smiled.

"I'd love that very much." Rarity smiled back.

They started walking through the gardens, stopping now and then so that Rarity could gaze at the view or smell the flowers. Spike even trimmed a rose and tucked it behind Rarity's ear.

Then they came across Princess Celestia.

"Like mother like son, I see you had the same idea." Princess Celestia chuckled.

"Yeah that was one of the many things I 'inherited' from you: enjoying a walk through the gardens." Spike chuckled back.

"Well, I'm glad we both had the same idea because I wanted to express my happiness for you both in person." Princess Celestia smiled. "As I said in my note I had been hoping for many moons that you two would end up together. I may not be the Princess of Love like my niece, but I still sometimes get a good feeling about certain couples. Ever since I officially met you Rarity I could tell that my son had good taste in mares, especially since you were the first one he really fell in love with."

"Really fell in love with?" Rarity looked at Spike confusedly.

"Had a slight crush on Moondancer a long time ago, though that was only because she was so similar to Twilight." Spike shrugged. "My feelings weren't even strong enough to attempt anything to win Moondancer over, though I told mom and Twilight about how I felt anyway to see what they thought. Twilight wasn't sure because of the species difference, and mom wasn't exactly against it but she did warn me that I should think carefully before attempting to win Moondancer over."

"Yes, while I could tell that Moondancer would make a good friend, and even another sister, for my son I could never see her as a possible special somepony for him." Princess Celestia confirmed. "Oh Spike, did Rarity make that suit for you?"

"Yeah, and the sash and her gown." Spike smiled. "The sash is a token of her love for me and she made the suit and gown for our date."

"Well they are lovely, I really like how you made the suit match the sash without causing the sash to appear invisible. And that gown really is worthy for a princess."

"Oh thank you your highness. And truthfully I think this gown is the only one I'm not going to duplicate. I'm going to keep it for myself as a tribute of our first official date." Rarity then smiled at Spike, who blushed a little.

"Understandable."

Luna then flew down to them.

"Hello, wanted to offer my own congratulations to Rarity and my nephew." Luna smiled slightly, appearing to be a little sad. "I am very happy for you both, and I am sure that you will live happily ever after together. Sister, since nighttime is nearly here I'm going to guard the night now so you may head straight to bed after your walk if you wish."

"Thank you Luna, I think I'll turn in soon." Princess Celestia smiled.

Luna smiled back and flew to her post.

"Is Aunt Luna okay? She seemed sad." Spike said.

"She's fine, she's just a bit lonely. You see unlike me my sister has been hoping to find her special somepony, since she gets lonely much easier than I do. That's why she was trying too hard to make friends during her first Nightmare Night." Princess Celestia explained.

"Well I hope she finds the right one soon, she really deserves a special somepony." Rarity said sympathetically. "And for the record, so do you your highness."

"Thank you Rarity, but truthfully it would be a tall order to find somepony who would love me for who I am instead of my status **and** who could also be a good dad for Spike." Princess Celestia smiled. "But you are right about Luna, she does deserve a very special somepony. Well, I'm going to turn it now. Oh, and son? I'm very proud of you."

Spike blushed happily at that.

"Good night mom." He said.

"Good night your highness." Rarity said.

"Goodnight. And you can just call me Celestia Rarity, after all you are dating my son." Princess Celestia smiled.

"I...if you wish." Rarity agreed, caught off-guard by the idea of greeting Princess Celestia without her title.

"Relax Rarity, mom was always more humble than almost everypony else believed." Spike chuckled.

"Hm...an unexpected trait for a member of royalty, but recalling Blueblood it's also an admirable trait." Rarity smiled.

"No kidding. Still wish mom's humbleness was able to rub off on Blueblood, but unfortunately his parents are also snobby and vain so they obviously had a stronger affect on him."

"Thank goodness you take after your mom." Rarity got up on her hind legs to snuggle her head by his shoulder.

"Yeah..." Spike gazed lovingly at Rarity.

Rarity looked at him, and couldn't help gazing lovingly at him as well.

They continued gazing at each other, their faces drawing closer without them realizing it. Until suddenly...they kissed. Their hearts raced as they subconsciously realized that they really will be together forever.

Then after dropping Rarity off back home, Spike went home as well...and instantly got a surprise. The thrones had changed, along with his throne being larger - which he and Twilight already noticed once they arrived home from the Crystal Empire - Rarity's throne had been moved so that it was next to his. He knew that Twilight wouldn't have been able to move the throne, since the Tree of Harmony/Castle of Friendship had it's own unique power that not even Celestia could control. So there was only one explanation: the Castle had sensed his and Rarity's love for each other to be true and knew that Rarity would one day become his wife. Spike beamed and blushed as his heart sped at the idea.

"Princess Rarity...wife of Prince Spike..." He murmured. "It both sounds and feels right..."


	9. The Surprise

Days passed, and around the end of the week Celestia summoned Spike and the Mane Six, plus their family (including Scootaloo and her parents), Flicker and his parents, and Twilight's Canterlot friends to the Crystal Kingdom. Even Luna and Discord were invited.

"Um, begging your pardon your highness but if Princess Luna is coming as well then who's keeping an eye on things in the castle?" Applejack asked after they all got settled in the train.

"Oh the other members of my court can handle things for a few days." Celestia smiled. "And if there's an emergency then they'll send me a message via Spike, I already taught them how to do that."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash smiled. "Does this mean Spike is a member of the court now too?"

"Not officially, since he still has to learn a few things and get used to the responsibilities, but I am allowing him to make some of the smaller decisions."

"Including helping my sister plan the Grand Galloping Gala from now on." Spike grinned.

"That's good, then it'll be easier to liven up the Gala without relying solely on me." Discord relaxed in midair. "Not that I mind, but I prefer livening up an event with friends than on my own."

"Just be a little less insulting about the jokes next time you do a stand-up comic routine okay?" Twilight frowned.

"All right all right...sorry if I did hurt your feelings, I was just trying too hard to get Fluttershy's attention back."

"Well everything did work out for the best. Tree Hugger now even really likes Discord, which is what I had been hoping." Fluttershy smiled. "She always was the type to base others on what's in their soul instead of their appearance."

"True. Still getting used to her mentions of auras and chakras and such though." Discord shrugged.

"I have a book on New Age Magic if you'd like to read it sometime." Twilight offered.

"Hm...I might take you up on that offer."

Once they reached the Crystal Empire's train station they saw Sunburst and Starlight standing there waiting for them.

"My goodness, you're Discord, the embodiment of chaos." Sunburst said as soon as he saw Discord leave the train. "Starlight told me about you but even so I wasn't expecting such a unique appearance."

"Yes I find it does take most ponies a while to get used to my presence." Discord smiled. "So, Sunburst right? Starlight said you were her foalhood friend until you got your Cutie Mark."

"Yeah. Didn't mean to lose contact with her but my parents rushed me to the School for Gifted Unicorns so fast I didn't have time to say goodbye." Sunburst said. "Then I ended up learning the hard way that I was better at studying spells than actually casting them. Obviously wasn't part of the popular crowd due to that, and the insecurity I got from that treatment prevented me from writing to Starlight for the rest of my foalhood. She was always better at casting spells than me, so I was too ashamed to tell her the truth."

"After he admitted this to me I ended up wishing that I had made the first move to contact him instead." Starlight added. "Not only would it have helped him cope with school life, but it might've even resulted in me not making the mistakes I made. Especially the time traveling one."

"That reminds me, what was Equestria like under my rule?" Discord turned to Twilight and Spike.

"Chaotic." Spike deadpanned.

Even Discord laughed at that.

"Touché." Discord had to admit.

They walked towards the center of the Empire, when they saw that the Spike/Crystal Heart statue had been slightly moved to the left. They instantly knew that it was to make room for something, because something huge that was covered with a sheet was on the statue's right (when facing the front of the statue). Realizing that this was why they were called in to the Empire, they stopped in front of it. Sure enough Celestia walked to the front of the statue and the sheet-covered something, with Shining Armor and Cadance being on her left with Flurry Heart and Luna being on Celestia's right. The crystal ponies surrounded the group whispering excitedly.

"Son, come here please." Celestia smiled.

Despite being a little confused, Spike obeyed.

"As you all now know Spike is my son. After my student Princess Twilight Sparkle hatched him when she was a filly I took care of him and raised him, later assigning him to Twilight Sparkle as her assistant." Celestia began. "During the many moons since then my son has made me very proud. He never let his true ranking affect how he treats others, he was always a good friend to everyone, he always stayed steadfastly loyal to those he cares about, and he always showed bravery whenever it mattered most. Because of this, and his growth in maturity and selflessness I have made a decision. I know that you had already titled him Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, but since it is now time for Spike to fully accept his title of Prince and the responsibilities and duties that come with it I am going to knight him with a new title."

Knowing what happens during a knighting, Spike then kneeled. Sure enough Celestia opened a box near her and lifted out a sword.

"I now knight you Prince Spike the Selfless." Celestia tapped his shoulders with the sword. "And of course, a true prince deserves a crown. And a true hero deserves a medal."

Celestia then lifted a medal and crown out of the box, first placing the medal around Spike's neck and then the crown on Spike's head. The medal was silver, with a diamond in a golden sun in the middle of it. The crown however was gold, and had diamonds along the wide part. It took a moment for most ponies to notice, but the diamonds on Spike's medal and crown looked awfully similar to the diamonds that made up Rarity's Cutie Mark.

"You may now rise my son." Celestia smiled.

Spike did, obviously happy and moved. Then the sword that Celestia had knighted him with was placed into his hands, and a gold belt was put around his waist via Celestia's magic.

"I thought a sword might come in handy in the future, especially since you're so willing to risk your life for others." Celestia smiled.

Spike smiled back and put the sword back in it's hilt, which of course was attached to his new belt.

Luna then looked behind her and nodded, and the sheet was suddenly pulled off the huge something...which turned out to be a statue of Spike's new form. Decked out in his new sash, crown, belt, sword, and medal no less. Even more surprising, there was a statue version of Rarity next to him wearing the outfit she wore on their first date in Canterlot.

"After I saw your sash and Rarity's outfit I sent an image of both to the Crystal Ponies so that they could include them in the statues." Celestia explained. "I asked them to include Rarity because Cadance and I both have a good feeling that you two will be together forever."

"You two aren't the only ones...come to think of it, neither are Spike and I." Rarity smiled.

"What do you mean?" Cadance asked.

"The Castle of Friendship...it moved Rarity's throne next to mine the day of our date in Canterlot." Spike smiled.

Those who didn't already know about that - meaning the entire Crystal Empire along with Celestia and Luna - were stunned enough to drop their mouths open, slightly or otherwise. Luna then smiled.

"Well, that is a very good sign indeed." She said.

"Hmm...sounds like the Tree of Harmony is wiser and more sentient than even I expected." Celestia mused.

"Begging your pardon your highnesses, but..." A little colt hesitated, not sure how to form his question.

"Oh of course." Twilight facehoofed. "We never explained this before, sorry. Um, the Castle of Friendship, where Spike, Starlight, and I live, used to be the Tree of Harmony from the Everfree Forest near Ponyville. The Elements of Harmony came from that tree, and when my friends and I had to sacrifice the Elements to save the tree it later rewarded us with a rainbow power that later helped us defeat a villain named Tirek. The Tree then moved to just outside Ponyville and formed itself into a castle which we named the Castle of Friendship. You know, since I'm the Princess of Friendship."

"Oh." The colt smiled.

A little filly then approached Rarity.

"You are so lucky, winning the heart of Prince Spike the Selfless." She smiled.

"I know dear, though I didn't know it at first. I confess his baby dragon form prevented me from returning his feelings right away. My little sister Sweetie Belle had to...well, 'sing' some sense into me." Rarity then giggled.

"Yeah, actually I'm glad I've gotten more confident at singing in public." Sweetie Belle admitted. "I always did find singing fun after all."

"Oh you're a singer?" A mare smiled.

"Not professionally, but yeah, sometimes."

"Come on everypony, this occasion calls for a party!" Pinkie Pie suddenly cried.

No one could argue with her, so they decided to party.

Oh, and when Twilight, Starlight, and Spike returned home they got further proof of the Tree of Harmony's sentience, because Spike's throne had changed again. It now had the image of his medal near the top where a pony's Cutie Mark symbol would be.

No one had any idea whether this would mean that Spike would get Friendship Missions like the others or not, but truthfully Spike hoped that he would. Now that his true rank had been revealed he had decided to take his ranking more seriously and start helping others, for the ponies of Equestria were no longer just Celestia and Luna's subjects. They were now his subjects as well.


End file.
